Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant or known as the FSEOG is a federal student aid that aims to provide financial aid to undergraduate students who are seriously in need of financial support for tertiary educational expenses.
The program primarily targets students who receive Federal Pell grants and have low Expected Family Contribution or known as the EFC.
Like other federal student aid programs, the FSEOG has similar requirements and qualifications in order to apply for it. To know more about FSEOG, just read this article further.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Eligibility
The FSEOG assesses your eligibility for the grant, and the Education Department of the country uses a certain formula to determine if you fit their eligibility criteria. List the basic eligibility requirements, these are:
1. Have been eligible to receive a pell grant within the same year;
2. Must be an undergraduate student currently pursuing a college degree;
3. Must meet the school’s standards for satisfactory academic progress (this may vary depending on the school you are attending);
4. Have a low or zero EFC; and
5. Meet the Education Department’s eligibility requirements which are:
• Shows a serious need for financial assistance with educational expenses;
• Acquired a high school diploma or a General Education Development Certificate;
• Being a legal resident of the country; and
• Possess a valid Social Security number.
Keep in mind
Certain factors might affect your eligibility for FSEOG, these are the following:
• Your enrollment in each semester;
• Your GPA;
• Your number of attempts in joining developmental courses;
• Your enrollment history; or
Courseworks you repeated.
It’s your responsibility as a student to attend classes at the beginning of the term at which time your grant application was approved to maintain your eligibility.
Attending classes regularly is also highly advised. If otherwise, the school will recalculate the award that you receive.
Further, in terms of remote learning, the school should document the student’s participation in online learning to consider attendance as valid.
If you failed to attend classes at least once at the beginning of the term, termination of FSEOG is a possible consequence.
How to Apply for FSEOG
Application for FSEOG is the same as other federal student aid programs. You just have to submit a Free Application For Federal Student Aid or known as the FAFSA.
After submitting the
FAFSA form, the school together with the Education Department will assess and determine if you fit the eligibility criteria and determine how much money you will receive for the school year.
How Much to Receive
The money that you can receive under the FSEOG range between 100 - 4000 US Dollars each year. The exact amount will be determined by assessing how much financial assistance you need.
The amount of money you receive from other student aid programs as well as the availability of funds in the university you’re attending also affects the amount you will receive from the FSEOG.
How the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Funding Works
The Education Department of the US provides yearly funds to participating schools for the FSEOG financial aid program. Once the funds for the current year are already given to qualified students, there will no longer be additional funding until the next school year.
Thus, if you are one of those students who are planning to apply for FSEOG or other student aid programs, make sure to apply the earliest that you can.
You can inquire about deadlines and submission procedures in your school’s financial aid office to know when’s the best time to apply.
How to Get My Payment
Once your application is approved, the school will give your grant directly to you or disburse it to your student account. In some instances, schools use both of these methods.
Usually, the university is responsible for disbursing your grant once every semester. Although, for those schools that do not follow semesters, disbursement should be made twice every school year.
Disbursements of Funds
There are instances when the school will use your FSEOG aid to pay for your school credits such as tuition fees, and miscellaneous fees listed on your student account.
The excess funds from paying your institutional charges will be given to you as well. The excess funds will be given to you through either of the following procedures:
• By sending you a check via mail; or
• By directly depositing the funds to your bank account.
The disbursement procedures may vary depending on every school’s preference though. To know your school’s disbursement and payment procedures, you can talk to the staff from the financial student aid office of the school you’re attending.
Grant Repayment
The FSEOG does not require grantees to repay the money they received unless they get into any of the following circumstances:
• You have withdrawn from the program too early after you receive your grant;
• Your enrollment status has changed that affecting your eligibility for the student aid program;
• You have received money from other scholarship programs which may affect your eligibility for the FSEOG financial aid program; or
• You were able to receive a TEACH grant, however, failed to meet your TEACH grant obligations.
The school you’re attending will inform you if you are obligated to repay the grant you received. If so, you have 45 days to repay the amount of the grant you received either in full or through a satisfactory repayment arrangement.
Satisfactory Repayment Arrangement
In a Satisfactory Repayment Arrangement, you will either repay the grant to the Education Department by collection or repay it directly to the school. The payment procedure will depend on the arranged repayment plan between you and the school.
Take note that if you fail to follow the arranged payment plan, you will no longer become eligible for other financial aid programs. Thus, it is crucial to monitor and maintain your payments.
How to Remain Eligible
Upon approval of your FSEOG application, maintaining your eligibility is significant to regularly receive your grant.
Just like other student aid programs, it is a requisite to fill out a FAFSA form every school year. While under the financial aid program, it is important to maintain good grades and meet the school’s satisfactory academic progress standards.
Satisfactory academic progress may include how you maintain a good General Point Average (GPA), attendance, and school credits.
